https://sputnikglobe.com/20240617/texas-political-candidate-charged-with-faking-online-racist-harassment-campaign-1118991835.html
Texas Political Candidate Charged with Faking Online Racist Harassment Campaign
Texas Political Candidate Charged with Faking Online Racist Harassment Campaign
Sputnik International
“Whether Republican or Democrat, such tactics should be unequivocally condemned by all who value integrity and accountability in politics,” said local Republican Party chair Bobby Eberle.
2024-06-17T04:29+0000
2024-06-17T04:29+0000
2024-06-17T04:29+0000
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A Texas political candidate for county commissioner has been charged with faking an online harassment campaign after he spent months sending racist messages to himself on Facebook.*Taral Patel, a Democratic Party candidate running in the third precinct of Fort Bend county, was arrested and charged with one third-degree felony count of online impersonation and a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity after an investigation by the county district attorney’s office revealed he was responsible for a string of online hateful and derogatory comments purportedly directed at himself.“As your Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues,” Patel said in an online post in September, posting a collage of the alleged harassing comments. “However, when my Republican opponents supporters' [sic] decide to hurl racist, anti-immigrant, Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me – that crosses a line.”Patel’s Republican Party opponent incumbent Commissioner Andy Meyers requested an investigation of the comments after recognizing one of the partially-concealed usernames as an account that had previously launched attacks at himself.The investigation revealed Patel had used an image of an actual local resident as the profile photo for one of the accounts, leading to the online impersonation charge.Patel paid a total of $22,500 bond to leave county jail Thursday, with his court date scheduled for July 22.*Facebook/Meta is banned in the Russian Federation for extremist activities.
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fake racist messages online, texas fake racist messages, fake harassment campaign
Texas Political Candidate Charged with Faking Online Racist Harassment Campaign
“Whether Republican or Democrat, such tactics should be unequivocally condemned by all who value integrity and accountability in politics,” said local Republican Party chair Bobby Eberle.
A Texas political candidate for county commissioner has been
charged with faking an online harassment campaign after he spent months sending racist messages to himself on Facebook.*
Taral Patel, a Democratic Party candidate running in the third precinct of Fort Bend county, was arrested and charged with one third-degree felony count of online impersonation and a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity after an investigation by the county district attorney’s office revealed he was responsible for a string of online hateful and derogatory comments purportedly directed at himself.
“As your Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues,” Patel
said in an online post in September, posting a collage of the alleged harassing comments. “However, when my Republican opponents supporters' [sic] decide to hurl racist, anti-immigrant, Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me – that crosses a line.”
Patel’s Republican Party opponent incumbent Commissioner Andy Meyers requested an investigation of the comments after recognizing one of the partially-concealed usernames as an account that had previously launched attacks at himself.
The investigation revealed Patel had used an image of an actual local resident as the profile photo for one of the accounts, leading to the online impersonation charge.
Patel paid a total of $22,500 bond to leave county jail Thursday, with his court date scheduled for July 22.
*Facebook/Meta is banned in the Russian Federation for extremist activities.
